While the Portland-centric media in this state - we're sort of like the local equivalent of the inside-the-beltway media at the national level - pays lots of attention to the mayoral race up here, it now turns out that Oregon's second city will have a mayor's race at least as equally interesting.

Former Eugene Mayor Jim Torrey, a former Republican who now belongs to the Oregon Independent Party, said Thursday that he is going to challenge Mayor Kitty Piercy, a liberal Democrat who once served in the state house.

Piercy and Torrey are each likely to assemble big campaign teams and raise substantial funds. Torrey said he may have to spend $200,000 or more to battle Piercy, a staggering sum by Eugene mayoral campaign standards. In 2004, Piercy broke a fundraising record for a mayoral candidate, raising more than $120,000.

Both are smart, tough and tested politicians who I expect to sharply debate how best to nurture the economy and livability of Eugene. In other words, kind of like the debate you might get from Sam Adams and Sho Dozono in Portland.